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The War of Four: The Hunter and the Hunted
Act I The Sting Operation! Time lapse from the Apocalypse "Nnnnngh...mmmm...wh-what?" Hyōryū moaned aloud as she wearily opened her eyes as light began flooding the room from the window across her bed. It had been nearly three weeks since the earth shattering and quite surprising moment that caused her body and mind to go into shock as the recorded "Plinian Eruption" shocked the spiritual and living worlds to its very core. Yūrei Okōku's war with the fanatical Red Sun Cult, the Ahijados, had all but a big sham to create the necessary blood needed for the Eruption that occured. However, as a chance of fate, one lone Lieutenant of the Soul Reapers gathered there had managed to dissuade the Hankami from their plans and officially gave them the chance to set things right. After the confirmed defeat of the accounted Hankami responsible for the Eruption, the world receded to its former state. But its scars were not forgotten upon the populace as a whole... Regardless, Hyōryū had done the best of the V-14's femme half of the group in taking it in stride. After drinking herself to sleep for a week, she eventually adapted and had only lingering moments when she'd remember her body plastered to a organic nightmarish building that had been the result of the Eruption's temporary affects. Still, after it all went down, she and Anton had a serious victory "celebration" back at her apartment. Speaking of which...Hyōryū looked around to spot her Russian nationality boyfriend, expecting him to be lying next to her under the covers or somewhere nearby. He had disappeared from the bed. But the sound of running water could be heard within her bathroom. Sometime or other, he had gotten out of bed in order to get himself prepared for the day. It was natural for him, being an early bird and always sleeping for the minimum limit, even after last night's activities. He just didn't know the meaning of the word "exhaustion". "Antooooon!" Hyōryū moaned out to him, rolling off the bed with a thump, growling slightly before getting up and walking bare skinned, disregarding the fact her bed hair laid flowed with slight frizzed hairs here and there. Also the fact she was in the nude did not bother her in the least, as she-or rather they-have gotten accustomed to their fully exposed anatomies. Opening the cracked door to the shower, she walked in with a frizzed blank look as she walked right into the shower, grabbing a hold of him with her arms from behind, a pouty look accompanied her face as she rested her cheek against his back, "You didn't bother to say good morning, meanie..." "Oh, damn it, I knew she would do that." Anton's eyes widened when he felt the woman suddenly take ahold on him, involuntarily leaning forward a little. However, his expression immediately turned to a frown and a slightly exasperated look. "I was going to do that when you woke up, you know..." He drawled, cocking a slight eyebrow. "...and when I got properly dressed." He rolled his eyes. "Don't act so melodramatic, it's so unlike you." "Not...when I get woken up...in the morning," Hyōryū countered, groaning afterwards before leaning up and planting a kiss on the back of his neck, whispering to him, "you hurry up. I want to have some time with you before Shadō wakes up and decides to interrupt. Again!" SLAP! Hyōryū lightly slapped Anton's hind quarters as she left the shower, grabbing one of the towels hanging on the rack, wrapping her body over her shoulders so her own body wouldn't be too obscured. As she shasayed her hips and legs out of the room, she turned her head briefly, her wet locks waving almost majestically across the bright lit air, biting her lip as she winked at him before disappearing out of the bathroom to get dressed herself. "Pffft...." Anton shook his head sagely at her antics. It was always direct and blunt when it came to the likes of her. By now, he had gotten used to how she acted when it came to him and her. It was a good thing he was raised to be a light-hearted and easy-going man, otherwise he would've never coped with it. He also had to roll his eyes again at the mention of "spending some time with him". If he knew she was going to tell him that, why did he even bother to get in the shower? But as he continued to focus on the shower, his ears picked up a light knocking from the door leading into the woman's room. Was that Shadō? Or had Angelika and Oliver come early? A faint clicking sound could be heard even over the drops of water in Anton's shower, as Hyōryū, clad in only a t-shirt and shorts, with her hair laid over her shoulders faintly wet as she moved towards the knocking on the door, aiming it at the object of annoyance. "Oliver, you even think of interrupting his shower, I'll shoot your balls off where you stand. Capiche?" Hyōryū said briskly and to the point as she defended her boyfriend like a panther her young. Surprising side of herself in her own mind that she had become incredibly more protective of those she cared about since...the Eruption. Now, with life being as brief as Hyōryū as ever seeing it, her ideas and instincts changed ever so slightly in her character. Her antics, however, have not, unforunately for the rest of V-14. "Do you seriously think Oliver would bother to knock?" Interestingly enough, it wasn't the American-accented blonde that spoke, but rather the lax, German accent that only belonged to Angelika. "As soon as you are dressed, meet us downstairs. We have some things to discuss." With that being said, footsteps could be heard going back downstairs, effectively ending any counter Hyōryū would've had to her. "He has, believe it or not," Hyōryū unapologetically retracted her gun and "holstered" it onto a open part of her shorts, knocking on the door connecting the bathroom, "hurry up, lover boy! You heard the boss." "Yes, dear..." With that sarcastic statement, Anton pushed the door open and stepped out. He was clad in his own common attire; a blue T-shirt with brown pants and black tennishoes. He had his hands shoved within his pockets, his head tilted slightly to the side. "Did she say what she wanted?" He questioned, cocking a slight eyebrow and frowning. Wrapping a arm around his waist, she playfully nuzzled his arm as she walked with him down the hall and the stairs, halfheartedly shrugging, "Don't know...she said we have stuff to talk about. I think it might have something to do with what happened several weeks ago. We all kinda...didn't really resolve to change anything after it was over, so maybe she's got a game plan." "Right..." Anton spoke nothing further of it, allowing himself to walk with Hyōryū with his arm wrapped around her shoulders. He was pretty sure Oliver was going to tease him for what had developed between him and the woman. But, at this particular moment in time, he could not bring himself to care. The blonde would just have to cope with whatever attitude he had towards it. As for Angelika, though... When they had reached the downstairs level, Anton could immediately see the cross-legged-sitting figure of Angelika in one of the chairs. Oliver was messing around with a PSP he had brought with him, eyes concentrated on whatever game he was playing. Hyōryū spotted Oliver, briefly twitching at the sight of him before saying, "Playstations are shit," before turning her smirk towards Angelika, "what's up boss?" "I know." Oliver grumbled, his teeth gritted slightly as he turned the PSP this way and that. "I asked for an XBox, but the sons of bitches gave me this instead and said I couldn't get a refund... or return it for that matter! The only thing that kept me from smashing their faces in was the fact that they gave me this better-than-average racing game." Anton put his free hand into his pocket, looking with a slightly interested eye towards Oliver. "What's it called?" "Need for Spe--" That was when Oliver looked up to look at Anton - and stopped at the sight of him and Hyōryū holding each other. His look changed from concentrating to completely shocked, his mouth formed into a small "o" shape. A slightly amused smile crossed Angelika's face as she held up a cup of tea. "Looks like you lose the bet, Holmes." She said, not hiding her smugness. "Blink a few times, pinch yourself, and make sure to leave the money at my desk in an hour." "Wait a minute, you?!" Oliver's shock was becoming more and more apparent. He pointed a finger at Hyōryū and then at Anton, continuing to speak. "With Laz-E-Boy over here?! You've got to be kidding!!" Hyōryū smirked, leaning more into Anton's shoulder with her face as she replied, "This lazy boy over here is more a man than you ever can or will be, Olly." "What's all the commotion about?" Shadō Kariudo asked as his form appeared out of the shadows near Oliver, his hair already hung against his cloaked and armored form, as he crossed his arms over his large chest, his tall intimidating form radiated uncertainty and...lathargy. By now, Oliver was used to him popping up out of nowhere as he did. However, he continued to direct his speech towards the two, albeit having to ignore Anton's amused smirk. "I'' was expecting something with Sadass, of all people!" He scowled, throwing himself back into his seat and lowering his PSP. "Damn it... there goes a good part of my paycheck." "Ah! There you are, Shadō...." Angelika's own smile faded away as she looked at the dark man. "Something wrong?" She could easily sense the uncertainty he was emanating from his person. "Its nothing to worry about," Shadō deflected with a soft smile on his pale features, "just...still trying to get my meditations and sleep since that day happened. I'm still adjusting to it, but I'm more interested on what you wanted to discuss with us?" Hyōryū twitched, ignoring the compulsion to shoot Oliver's balls with the gun halfway tucked into her shorts, but realized she still was in a comfortable position with Anton. Instead, she directed her terse tone to Angelika, "So...what's this job you want us to do? I mean...that's why you didn't knock and barge into my house again, right?" "There's no job today..." Angelika closed her visible eye and lifted her head to lie back on her own seat. "I simply wanted to address a few things. One of them would be an update concerning our ranks. After doing some calls, I've managed to find people interested in joining our little organization. In a few days, we'll be acquainted with them. I've already formed their own four-man team as tradition to the V-14's workings, and they're in progress of finding their own HQ to set up in." She opened her eyes, passing a slight glare towards the ones she knew had a habit of causing trouble. "So, once we meet them, don't cause any unnecessary trouble. That means you too, Holmes and Fusoku." "Yes, ''ma'am..." Oliver drawled sarcastically, rolling his eyes and returning his eyes to his PSP game. "No promises, boss," Hyōryū said with a pouty expression, "if they deserve it, I will certainly kick their balls." "A new team? You found members in just three weeks?" Shadō inquired with a raise of his brow, as if he knew something about Angelika's procuring of another team to expand V-14's roster. "I have my resources." Angelika answered simply, taking a sip of her tea. "Now, for the second concern..." She paused for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing. "This has yet to be confirmed, but there seems to be increased activity within the Rukongai made by Soul Society. I can only assume the potential attraction was courtesy of what happened with our last contract prior to the Eruption. If anything, I'd be surprised that they would be so quick as to act." "That Captain Takuji is sure a piss-ant," Hyōryū said nonchalantly, waving her free arm for emphasis, "we mess up one job of his in one day when he had all week to take them out. Should've had a better info network if all he needed was the details of the stupid craps that made a f***tastic gun!" Shadō sweatdropped, "We've been over this and yet you're still mourning over a gun? What exactly would you shoot with something of that scale?" "Anything!" She shouted with glee, causing him to drop his head with dread, "why do you ask?" Oliver allowed a small sneer to cross his face. "The more I hear her talk, the more sorry I feel for you, Ruso. Enjoy being an indiscriminate target whenever it's that time of the month. Can't say you didn't earn it!" His grin grew even wider when Anton shot him a dirty look and a scowl. "I've already notified our new team of this." Angelika continued on. "That way, we can all be on the alert and effectively notify each other whenever something new comes up. However, there's no need to be alarmed. We just maintain a low profile and stay sharp." C-CLICK, WHIRRRRRR! Hyōryū swiftly pulled her gun out of her pants, cocking back the safety to its lowest setting and aimed it at Oliver's hind quarters, the priming of the weapon powering up could be heard in the room, "Keep talking, bub, and you'll have to buy a vowel at the end of this piece, saavy?" Shadō sighed, before asking Angelika, "Should we take on individual jobs until the 10th Division's troops clear out, or should we still continue buisness, but with less...explosions?" The moment that Hyōryū whipped out her pistol, Oliver had done the same. Now, both of their barrels were pointed at each other, with Oliver still sporting the haughty smirk. "You wanna know what they say for people who automatically pull out their pistols as a retort to an insult?" He drawled, raising his one free hand up in a gesture of peace. "It means that they're admitting defeat and have to resort to violence. But let's not get carried away here. After all, if those samurai shitheads happen to come by and one of us has a limb blown off courtesy of friendly fire... then there's a higher chance of all of us being screwed." "Business is still necessary..." Angelika closed her eye again, taking another sip of tea. "But we'll take up less missions that involve destruction. Of course, we really didn't have to blow up that cannon in the first place, and that option would've stayed had it not been for the intervention of that Arrancar." She was purposely turning a blind eye towards the two who had guns pointed at one another. As far as she was concerned, it was just another day. "I can say the same for people who don't know how to shut up," Hyōryū said before retracing her own weapon with a grim nod of understanding, "but yeah, I'll holster it. For now..." "Its unfortunate that we didn't get him identified with who he was working for," Shadō stroked his chin, while propping his elbow up as he spoke aloud in thought, "I'm concerned...that he was not working for the Ahijados but was leaning towards their way in the war. Or if it wasn't really for the Ahijados, then who would he bring it to? This all could be a elaborate front for everyone to believe the cultists were making it for the Ahijados rather than fantatics being used by a benefactor. I should investigate into this..." "Whatever you feel is necessary...." Angelika said calmly. "But considering he was interested in the weapon instead of us... I don't think it would be too important to delve on it." "Hopefully, we won't have to deal with him again... at the very least, as an enemy." Anton piped in, scratching his nose with his free hand. "I don't think I would want him as an ally," Shadō said with a slight shudder, as his eyes closed, "feeling that spirit energy I absorbed...it was filled with the most detached apathy and malice I ever felt from a spiritual being. We should keep on our toes when dealing with an Arrancar like that again, to have singlehandedly fought all of us...I'd hate to see him fully release his power like Kenja Kodai had." Suddenly, interrupting their musings was the immediate ringtone of Angelika's phone. Enrico was read as the caller of the phone, oddly, considering buisness hadn't been so hot lately with the 10th Division cracking down on all sides of the Rukon Districts. Coolly, Angelika pulled the phone from her coat pocket, flipped it on, and pressed the talk button, placing it to her ear. "Enrico? Let me guess. The 10th Division's being a bit harsh on you, as well?" She questioned immediately, getting right to the point of things. "Angelika! Oh thank spirit king you picked up! You have to get out of there, right NOW! I don't know how, but I just got word of 10th Division troops setting up a perimeter around your safehouse right now, and they're not doing a regular sweep. They're ready to take you out cause they're packing heat as well as their shiny blades!" Shadō suddenly looked a little alert as he just now began picking up the presences around them, sniffing the air for their "scent". "We've got trouble," Shadō said as he directed his gaze to all of the team members, as he grabbed his hat off the coat rack as well as melding into the shadows, readying his gear out of sight. That was enough to render Angelika on the alert. She quickly downed her cup of tea before setting it on the table, quickly setting up and speaking to Enrico in a business-like and sharp tone. "How many of them are there, exactly? Can you estimate?" She asked, her eyes narrowing as she walked over to one of the nearby cabinets. It wasn't surprising to know that 10th Division members would find them with the crackdown. However, it was surprising that they had done it so quickly. Surely, they wouldn't have simply located the right house on their own in so little time... Did Yashin inform them somehow? "I don't know, but from the sound of all the Hell Butterfly messages, I'd reckon nearly half of the 10th Division. But there's something off about the distances they keep spouting...," Enrico spoke over the comm, as he himself began examining the notes he deciphered from the communique from the 10th Division. Hyōryū growled, suddenly realizing what was up and began hurrying back to her room, slamming the door as she began outfitting herself with all the necessary weaponry she could. She smiled almost predatorially at the thought of using that ''against the 10th Division.... "Oh, fuck..." Oliver, prompted by Angelika's call, took to sneaking a look out the window... and was nearly floored by what he saw. His eyes widened, and he immediately took a step back from the venation blinds. He turned towards the group in entirety, complete shock and surprise on his face. "Their captain must've been on his fucking ''period or something. I'm seeing a whole damn battalion right outside!!" He exclaimed. Anton immediately ran over to his side, placing his hand on the wall beside the window and closing his eyes. "What the hell did we do to piss them off to the extent that they'd have half their army centered at one location...?" He whispered audibly, confusion clear in his tone. "More importantly, wouldn't this be a waste of resources... just for the sake of five individuals?" "It may be the threat we unintentionally caused when Anton-san used that technique ''to obliterate that neighbourhood and absorb the Kido they tried to ensare us with," Shadō said as he appeared from the shadows, fully equipped and his Zanpakuto visibly sheathed across his backside, hidden behind his bodily covering cloak. "You'd think they'd forget about that once that f'ing ''Eruption ''plastered our bodies to our f'ing beds!" Hyōryū said as she walked out, carrying the case holding that weapon that left a psychological imprint on their minds whenever she used it, causing Shadō to sweatdrop at seeing it. "Huh..." Oliver frowned, tilting his head to the side and placing his hands into his pockets. "You know..." He muttered, lowering his head for a moment in thought. "Normally by now, they'd be yelling at us some big announcement that they have us surrounded and that we should surrender while we're still breathing." He raised his head once he finished his sentence, revealing a cocked eyebrow and a skeptical frown. "Wonder why they're not doing that?" "So they're probably after ''me in particular..." Anton grumbled, letting out a heavy sigh and bumping his head lightly against the wall. "Chto za huy, I feel so wanted..." "They're after all of us, Pinko!" Oliver said in annoyance, shifting his head to his partner in order to glare at him. "Don't try and flatter yourself here!" "You got anything else for me, Enrico?" Angelika questioned, finally holding up what she was looking for. It was her HCA-50 pistol, kept safe and sound. "If you do, keep talking to me. I need to know everything possible." "Waitaminute, señora," Enrico said as he heard some whispered chatters and suddenly the chatters almost all but stopped, as Enrico took a audible gulp, almost whispering, "Angelika...if you're going to leave...now's as good as time as any-''" "V-14!" A voice shouted, augmented by a Hell butterfly fluttering next to his head, his white Haori flowering over his overcoat with no arms sleeved in them. His arms crossed, his eyes narrowed and his mouth moved in a calm, yet threatening gesture, "we know you are in there! This is Captain Shindo Takuji of the 10th Division of the Gotei 13! Surrender yourselves peacefully, or we will come in with force. Resist, and we will kill you! You have 20 seconds to comply!" Hyōryū's eyes widened with excitement, as she looked out the window Oliver was moments ago, and saw why the company of men were distanced so much. The Captain himself was standing out before the house, with Zanpakuto drawn, staring right at the house, "Oh shiiiit! The Captain himself is out there shouting at us to come with our hands up! Hehehe!" She rushed over like a girl on Christmas Morning, sliding to her knees as she began unbuckling the locks on her case before revealing a very large, artillery-grade Kido rifle with one name that earned its name from all foes and comrades alike. ''The Executor. She unloaded it and began arming it with the essential attachments as well as the VERY large ammo magazine into it, causing Shadō to nervously raise a hand in protest. "Please don't tell me you're going to shoot that thing, are you?" Shadō began to say, before earning a gleaming star-filled eye stare at him while priming the weapon, "you are aren't you?" "Desyatʹ sekund do oruzhiya zagruntovatʹ," the weapon announced much to a girl squeal from Hyōryū, saying to Anton with a almost girly tone, "I translated my baby to speak Russian, that way, I can remember you every time I start and fire this loveable thing." "For that particular weapon?" Anton turned his head to meet her eyes in surprise, before half-lidding them and putting on an amused, yet mirthful grin. "Dear, you flatter me far too much." "EUGH, gag!" Oliver opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue in an expression of disgust and disdain, even as his hands reached and whipped out his trademark dual pistols from their holsters. "I thought love and romance was supposed to be kept out of warfare. Don't you know how fuckin' creepy that is? That's the first signs of a stalker, sister." "We'll be taking the front door, Enrico..." Angelika said smoothly, already getting into position and taking cover behind the walls. "I'll call you back after we're done in the next several minutes." She raised her free hand in order to motion to the others. "We fire when he counts down to three. Make sure you're in your positions." "Oruzhie Gruntovka," the Executor chimed in, causing Hyōryū to smile back gleefully, before playfully turning the priming weapon's barrel at Oliver, saying, "You obviously never been in bed with me to know a good piece when you see it." She began taking position at the end of the living room, activating her scope, "You obviously haven't seen Anton's sword either. This thing, isn't nearly as good as he his in bed." Shadō groaned as he placed his hand over his face even as he stepped into the shadows, "Please...giving it a voice is going to make me want to run for cover even more..." Tamenkyome! "Ten seconds, V-14!" Shindō spoke as his eyes flashed into its ocular Kidō state, allowing him to see the individual spiritual auras of each of the V-14 members. From what he sees, he already knew from intel. The one he saw activate that Kidō initiated that took apart an entire neighbourhood as well as a good portion of the plantlife there within the outskirts of the Northeastern Rukon District was the most bright one within his eyes. Another one that was "bright" in its own regards was the man holding the Zanpakuto and a menacing aura within himself. The other three were the respective members with respectable Spiritual auras of their own, but nothing to be concerned of. However he delayed his count as he saw a resonance coming from what appeared to be a particular weapon being bore upon them. He could only wonder what scale of destruction it had, and began resuming count, "7 seconds!" "Vybor tselevoyu dlya vypolneniya," the Executor spoke once more as she aimed her target, asking briefly to Angelika, "shoot to kill or to piss their pants? Or both?" A smile came across Angelika's face, her eyes narrowing. "The Captain needs to know the consequences for crossing the V-14. Both will do." She spoke calmly, her tone expressing nothing more than tranquil malice. She shut the phone off, slipping it back into her coat pocket. "Perfect," the tomboy weaponsmaster all but smiled as she took aim for the bulk of the force facing the house. Shindō roared out again over his Hell butterfly augmented voice amplifier, "3 seconds!-" KRACK-BOOM! The safehouse on which they were in, crackled in air pressure from the sheer power behind the shot, only moving Hyōryū surprisingly as a orange bordered white center bolt flew from the end of the Executor, leaving out the hole of the worn, ramshackle excuse of a window towards its target, unintentionally taking the wall of the house with it. As the bolt screamed with indescriable speed, Shindō's eyes could only widen as he saw a huge amount of condensed spiritual energy, ready to be released upon impact. Swiftly, he began to shout out, "Incoming!-" BOOOOOOOOM! As soon as the bolt hit squarely in front of a building the men were gathered in the alleys and in front of it, the concussive force was enough to shatter it to pieces, before a bright orange glow enveloped the whole area, roaring around as it exploded with enough force to take out half of the battalion that stood in front of them, horrifying Shindō as he saw his men die within a instant just yonder. This...was the second time, Shindō gave pause as he examined the mushroom cloud in exhaust of the faded orange energy that left view of all those within bird's eye distance. "Tselevaya vypolneny," the Executor announced, much to a hair windblown gleefully smiling Hyōryū, sighing in a sense somewhere close to ecstacy, "that was...awesome! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" That was when all Hell cut loose. BANG! BANG BANG! BLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAMBLAM! Angelika and Oliver opened fire immediately, shooting with terrifying accuracy and precision. Every shot connected with at least one part of their targets' bodies. As they fired, they moved outward into the street through the hole that Hyōryū made. They would probably be the only three who needed to utilize cover and not jump into the fray directly. "You all just signed your death warrants!!!" Oliver jeered, as he continued to unleash suppressing fire on their position. "NO one crosses the V-14 and lives!!!" "Damn right!!!" Anton gloated. WOOSH! While Angelika and Oliver were attacking from a distance, Anton used the moment in order to jump into the fray directly, his Kiriken swords summoned in each hand. Unlike them, he could handle himself in the middle of a warzone and could get up close and personal with his enemies. It was only natural for him to fight head-on while his comrades flanked his outside. "Give them my love, baby!" Hyōryū said as she moved to the other side of the house, now aiming at the other frantic and confused half of the batallion of Soul Reapers, squeezing the grenade launcher attachment. With several squeezes, a rain of enflamed metalic shrapnel ripped apart the buildings while igniting them, as well as slaughtering a good portion of the troops there who didn't take proper action. Shindō on the other hand began clenching his jaw, and balling his fists while clenching his sword handle. "You...dare...," his voice grew loud, as he unintentionally let his Hell butterfly in range of his voice, his eyes suddenly picked up the moving form of Anton, watching him land and begin personally attacking his men, "to kill...my men?!" VRRRRRRRRCRRRRACK! Shindō's body radiated with a blue, electric aura as wrath and fury broke the dirt earth and air, his sword became awakened without voice command, as a sheen veil of blue electricity coated it, "You've signed your death warrant, V-14!!!" WOOSH, CRACK-CLANG! Shindō then moved towards Anton first, already determining him as the first threat. His lightning coated sword clashed against his Kiriken blades crackling and blazing violently, his Tamenkyome eyes glared with killing intent as his spiritual pressure coated his body, "You're first...Anton Semenov!" It was enough to send a chill down Anton's spine. He wasn't afraid. But Shindō's rage and hatred seemed to wash over him like bad blood. A bead of sweat fell down his face, and his grin slowly grew at the other man's challenge. It wasn't out of anger, or insanity... but rather, it was simple anticipation. He knew he was going to be in for one hell of a fight, and that the Captain would hold nothing back. There was no reason to, after all. "Am I?" He shot back, fighting against his opponent's strength. "Then I'm going to enjoy every bit of this... not as much as I enjoy company with my girlfriend, mind you... but very close to it." With that, he executed a swift parry and threw himself at Shindō, the blades swinging in a flurry of fast, fluid, and ferocious attacks. On top of that, he mixed in kicks along with his swings in order to keep the other man on his toes. "Oh, great!!" Oliver snapped, pausing briefly and taking cover to reload behind a building. "Pinko's decided to take the Captain by himself. What a fuckin' show-off!!" Shindō simply smiled back with predatorial enjoyment. His body matched Anton's move for move, his slightly shorter stature was given no sight of a disadvantage as twirled his lightning infused Zanpakuto to crackle and clash with that of Oliver's pair of Kido-summoned swords. He even switched hands to block and kick back at Oliver, flipping his cloaked form around without dropping his Haori, showing the depth of skill he retained. As Shindō used Flash Step away, he reappeared behind Anton, stabbing into the ground, "I got you!" The sounds of thousands of birds chirping along with crackling volts of lightning suddenly ran along the ground before rising indefinitely high into the air, as several miniature pyres of electricity soared into the air while flowing across the air and taking out several walls of proximate buildings. "Wanna bet?!" In response, Anton briefly dispelled the Kiriken swords in order to boost himself several feet off the ground with a Flash Step. He turned his attention below him to see the arcs of electricity come his way, extending his hands out. "Danku!" The electricity streams hit and were halted by the Kidō shield that had been timely summoned by the Russian, keeping him safe from harm. Shindō's eyes narrowed at the transparent, two story tall shield that repelled his lightning attacks with ease. As he pulled his Zanpakuto out of the blackened earth, he focused on the timing and what was left of the high level Kido barrier. He began twirling his Zanpakuto in front of him, letting it hover as he prepared his counterattack, asking aloud, "That is a Kido spell reserved for only the most elite and skilled Soul Reapers of the Gotei 13. For you to effortlessly cast it while retaining its full power, means you have skills within the arts of a Soul Reaper. Who trained you?!" As he finished spinning his Zanpakuto, he held it inverted with the blade pointing down, uttering aloud, "Hado # 58, Tenran!" Discharging a widening tornado towards the fading transparent shield, before inhaling air before exhaling out, "Hado # 8, Shōbō Sasu!" Within moments, a giant tornado of flames discharged, causing a blazing inferno to crack through the fading shield and explode into the sky with a crack of the air pressure. "Wouldn't you like to know..." Anton taunted, slapping his palms together and taking in a deep breath. His head tilted back, and his cheeks puffing up as the blazing inferno came closer and closer to him. It took only seconds for them to reach him. But at that moment... "Nenshō!" When he exhaled, he unleashed a massive wall of flames from his mouth and hit the opposing attack head on in order to blow it back. The point-blank intensity forced the focus of the struggle away from him and to the middle. During this, the heat from the flames singed the entire area, to the point where the V-14 members on the ground would feel it. Angelika used this moment to whip out her phone again, quickly dialing up Enrico once she was sure the coast was clear. "I'm here again, Enrico. We just dealt with the major threat, and now one of my men's engaging the Captain directly. For the moment, our situation's stable." Shindō's eyes narrowed as he heard the words and saw a impressive gust of flames towards his own pillar of fire. The waves of heat did nothing to perturb the ruthless young Captain, as he took time to pinpoint his target's spirit energy through the wafting inferno that blazed relentlessly in front and around them. With a sudden raise of his Zanpakuto, his Zanpakuto crackled before discharging a solid lightning that appeared as elongated sword. It would be mere instants when it would reach through the geyser of flames the two combatants created and would attempt to squewer him through his sternum and out his back. "Rakurai Yari!" (落雷槍 Rakurai yari ; Lit Translation, "Lightning Spear.") "Señora, I'm glad you managed to turn the tables on them! However, I did miscount...that was only a fourth of the 10th Division's goons. The rest of them are pulling back and regrouping...there's something fast heading your way, Angelika. Please be careful," Enrico implored. SWISH, SWISH, SWISH! A shadow on the battlefield began moving towards the gun toting V-14 members, heading primarily towards Angelika, avoiding almost all visible contact before appearing mere meters away from the Head of V-14. Her dark violet hair swirled around her majestically as she finally stopped before her, thrusting out two palm with connected wrists towards her midsection. Even though Angelika would be able to be out of reach the air pressure from the power of the strike sent a punch of condensed air the size of a basketball towards Angelika. The result would cause some of the ground and landscape to crack, and would most undoubtedly hurtle the leader through the alleyway she currently resided. "Forgive me, but you are a danger that must be purged," she said softly, standing upright with her black Shikhakusho fluttering around her shapely, accentuated body as her hair flowed like water within the air and around her face, her pale eyes penetrating towards the leader of the criminal organizations with near as much vigor and determination as her Captain, but with no bloodlust attached. But more of Honor and Duty that powered her resolve. Oliver's eyes widened completely. "BOSS!! LOOK OUT--!!" And she was quick to act. BOOSH! With an outstretch of her free hand, Angelika blocked off the pressurized air attack and prevented it from hitting her body. She had to dig in her feet, which slightly slid backwards. All-in-all, however, she had remained unscatched from the attack. She narrowed her lone eye, scowling at the sight of the pale-eyed woman. She pointed her HCA-Kidō pistol at the head of the woman, keeping a calm, but resentful tone in her voice as she spoke. "Seems like the Captain's pet has decided she wants my head... I'll call back later." With that, she switched off the phone and placed it back into her coat pocket, all the meanwhile keeping her narrowed eye glaring coldly at the woman. "Cute..." She said dryly. "The puppy thinks she can bite off more than her mouth lets her." "Are all of you 10th Division shits this stupid?!" Oliver jeered, promptly pointing his own pistols at her. "Coming at all of us at once and think you can take us on?! You must have some sort of suicidal god complex, little girl." "Woah!" Immediately, Anton stopped the flow of flames and jerked to the side just in time to avoid the bolt of lightning headed his way. However, he didn't stop his movements there, falling down to earth in order to land on one of the buildings nearby.... the one that hadn't been destroyed in Hyōryū's earlier attack. Shindō smirked, amused that Anton thought he could avoid the blade he created that easily. WIth a mere twitch his hand, he turned the elongated blade with a lightning speed, as he caught sight of him and swung the elongated blade towards him, cutting through the building that he landed on with ease as it bore to slice him into pieces. "You're mistaken if numbers win battles," Sakura said as her pale eyes looked unphased by the show of weapons, "or if you're the only ones with shiny toys." Bip-Bip-Bip, BLEEEEEEEEP! Sakura managed to subtely toss a pair of bead sized spheres onto the ground, suddenly blinking red before discharging a array of blinding light into the air, making it night impossible for accurate fire. In that moment, Sakura bent down deftly into a crouch while reaching her hands up in the air to clap onto the weapon, sending a jolt of spirit energy enough to disarm the weapon. Following that, she clasped her hands together while uttering lowly, heading towards Oliver's direction within a few zig-zag motions, not even using Flash Step as she approached him, "Bakudo # 30, Shitotsu Sansen!" BRAK-BRAK-BRAK! Three yellow beaks of energy discharged towards the american nationality gunman, aiming to incapacitate him and jam him against a nearby landscape or rubble more aptly. Oliver hadn't seen it. Angelika had - and that allowed herself to react before he did. FLASH! She managed to shield her eyes just as Oliver let out a pained yell, his sight rendered useless by the flashing light. So when the three beaks of energy shot towards him. WHAM! He was slammed against the nearest building, helplessly bound to it courtesy of the energy beams. "Damn it...!!" He hissed, gritting his teeth and trying to physically force himself out of the trap, but to no avail. "It's always the stun and gun technique with these bastards!!" It seemed that guns would not do... and this had been one of her favorites. Disdainfully, Angelika tossed the useless weapon aside and turned to face the Lieutenant. She closed her lone eye, folding her arms across her chest. It certainly had been a while since she had fought, and she never actually intended to do so. But her strongest fighters were busy... at the very least, Anton was. What was Hyōryū and Shadō doing on their end, anyway? On Anton's end, his eyes widened when he saw the elongated blade maintain its form. With a flip and a Flash Step, he managed to land himself back on the ground and avoid the blade once more, summoning his Kiriken blades back to his hands once more. This time, he threw himself at Shindō, using another Flash Step to quicken the distance and lessen the time his opponent had to react to the attack. "Tearing apart the very place you're hoping to protect, Captain?" He taunted. "I don't even know what to say..." Hyōryū on the otherhand, had been running and gunning the remaining 10th Division officers trying to box them in, her large rifle cradled in her arms looked ridiculous for someone of her stature. A wide sadistic gleam endowed her face as she leaped from building corner to building corner, taking aim as a number of Soul Reapers took a few potshots before she aimed her miniature Kido rail gun, obliterating the foundation of building corners as she did so, "HAHAHAHAHA! That's it! Keep running! It makes the hunt all the more enjoyable!" "You've done that yourself, Semenov!" Shindō spoke back quickly, shortening the blade back to its original size as he rounded his body to intercept his opponent's blades again, but not before uttering lowly, "those who live outside the law of the Soul Society are deemed the worst of criminals, who only think of their own selfish desires and care nothing for the damage done to those around them! Your powers belong to that of those who serve loyally to the Gotei 13, and I know you have Soul Reaper powers! Show me your powers," his blade suddenly crackled as electricity was absorbed from the very air and energy from the rubble before discharging in a vibrant blast of lightning, "if you want to live, traitor!!!" Sakura unsheathed her Zanpakuto as she rushed towards Angelika, aiming to cut her quickly as she initiated her Flash Step, rapidly closing the distance within a second, whispering, "Your days of terrorism is over, Angelika Hartman!" The blade connected. SPLURCH! However, it wouldn't be with the designated target. With a swift, cold movement, Angelika reached out and caught the cutting edge of the blade. The force cut her hand, spilling blood out onto the blade. She, however, did not seem to care, keeping the amused smirk on her face. "Attacking an unarmed opponent with the intent on cutting them down? I just don't know what to say, puppy..." She mocked. "I always assumed the Soul Society was full of heroes... not cut-throats like you." Then, she tightened her grip on her opponent's blade, pulled it aside, and threw a punch to the other woman's face. "Grr...!!!" Anton was forced back, the electricity pushing against him violently. However, he kept his swords in a defensive position to keep him from getting overwhelemed. With a burst of his spiritual energy, he forcefully dispelled the attack and readied his swords once more. "Don't go making empty threats, Captain, I think we're both above that..." He said bluntly, maintaining a level gaze. "And from the way you make it sound, you seem to believe that I was once a part of the Gotei 13 myself. Then again, I'm not surprised... the Soul Society of Japan was never new at living under rocks when the situation didn't call for it." Sakura deftly grabbed Angelika's fist, springing a shocking bolt of spirit energy to disable the nerves within her arm, child's play to her before she wrenched her sword back into her grasp, "I'm not going to kill you, Angelika Hartman! If you died, then there would be no one we could set an example of for producing nothing but havoc and death. You," she brought her sword back to swing back at her chest, "are nothing but a lowly, dirt-rat of a cr-GAK!" Sakura's sword was suddenly interrupted by a blade...coming right out of her shadow with a metalic clang before a hand reached out of the ground before swiftly to her throat, as the full intimidating form of Shadō himself, his eyes glaring hotly and his aura itself made him more like a demon than Shadō himself. He voiced a threat that confirmed the prior into Sakura's mind, "You dare challenge powers you cannot comprehend? You lowly Soul Reaper...you have no idea what you're getting into!" With a mighty throw, Shadō threw the Lieutenant into a wall of a building across the street, causing a large billow of smoke and rocks to uproar from the force he used to execute the maneuver. "Forgive my tardiness, Herr Angelika," Shadō spoke regretfully, as he held his bloodied blade in his hand as he turned towards her momentarily, "the enemies seemed to be plotting something, so I...asked ''them what was going on." Shindō growled, his body began to glow silver as his Spiritual Pressure crackled in the air once more, raising a open palm towards Anton, "Disappear and cease your insults, terrorist! Raikōhō!" CRACK-BOOM! As the yellow orb of energy gathered briefly before the Captain's palm, a crackle of electric energy blasted before encompassing the area Anton stood, before creating a thunderous blast of yellow energy, exploding and creating a large pillar of energy into the air, reducing the remaining structures around him into dust and rubble. "I owe you greatly for your intervention, ''Herr Kariudo..." Angelika exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding, clutching her disabled arm that hung lifelessly at her side. But it wasn't out of fear of death - that boat had already sailed. "That woman's able to disable the movements of one's motor functions as well as technology through physical contact..." She reported. "That is, if you were planning to take her on... other than that... did they tell you anything? I couldn't get much from Enrico..." "Hey, Shades!!" Oliver called out. "You mind getting me off of this wall while you explain?!" "He said the 10th Division troops are pulling back...but something seems off," Shadō spoke as he raised his sword towards where Sakura was, "these men looked like they were serious about taking us down, but why did they bother taking the time to alert us? They had enough combined firepower to reduce our safehouse and then some without us being prepared to counterattack. So...the only question is," Shadō raised his blade above his head before slashing it to the side, "is who are they waiting for?" Shadō looked over to Oliver after saying this to Angelika, before briefly using his Flash Step to reach him, sighing, "You know I'm not into this kind of kinky stuff, Oliver-san," before he grasped each of the beaks, draining the energy into himself before flexing it appreciatively, "thanks for the snack." "Kiss my ass." Oliver grumbled, dropping onto his feet and massaging his wrists. As he checked himself out, Angelika looked over in the direction that Shindō had thrown Sakura and subsequently followed up with the sword slash. "Considering the sudden appearance of the Inner Circle..." She said calmly, thinking of what had happened. "I'd say it would have something to do with the scum that they sent us a while back. How else would anyone have figured out where we were? I wouldn't put it past us that he managed to inform them somehow." Through the blast that Shindō had unleashed, a mildly scathed Anton could be seen emerging from the ruins. He had utilized a defensive spell in order to keep himself from getting incinerated from the blast, moments before it could hit him. Even as he walked towards Shindō, he continued to prod at him. "It's been so many years, and yet you all live like you're still in the feudal era. You might as well be criminals like us, and the only difference is that your crimes hold dominance over all of us. You've done nasty deeds just like we have, and for what? For upholding your so-called justice? I don't think you have the right to be calling me out as a terrorist, Captain..." Shindō gritted his teeth, feeling more and more pissed off as he heard this ridiculous rhetoric from this man who had Soul Reaper powers. He should've known he was from another spiritual society, but right now, he could care less which one he's from. He's here and part of a Seireitei top priority issue and he's here to stop him. Even if he has to destroy the entire District he evacuated only hours before this showdown. "Your cheap talk is boring me, Anton," Shindō spoke with a growling as lightning began dancing from the air, his sword raised high as clouds began to form in the sky, "your taunts are finally paying off, you lowly scum. You pissed me off into going serious with you. If you ever, for a instant, think you're on the same level as me...you're dead wrong!!!" CRACK BOOM, CRACK BOOM! High in the sky, lightning began to thunder and crackle within the heavens above, as Shindō's power over the lightning within the atmosphere reached an all-time high, his red-black eyes stared menacingly at Anton, "Begone, menace!" A sudden series of lightning bolts came down relentlessly, smashing into the ground with incredible force as well with instaneous speed as it struck over half a hundred attacks that aimed to pulverize him, "Sandā Gakudan!" (サンダー楽団 Sandaa gakudan ; Lit Translation, "Thunder Orchestra.") That was when Anton's calm demeanor broke, raw shock crossing his face for the first time in the battle. WOOSH! Immediately, he kicked into a Flash Step, barely avoiding bolt after bolt as they crashed down behind him. Even as he was hovering off the area, he could feel the very earth shake under the power. As he avoided the bursts, sweat was dropping down his face at a vicious rate. "Damn it..." He thought to himself. "At this rate, I really ''am going to get killed!!"'' Truly, he was dealing with a frightening and formidable opponent if he could unleash such ferocious attacks from the sky. He didn't think he could counter-attack without being blocked off by the lightening. And at this rate... everyone would get killed.... His mind drifted to Hyōryū, his teeth gritting slightly in frustration. She was a formidable fighter. But Shindō was in a league of his own. He could handle avoiding the attacks like this. But if she happened to get caught in the attack, she would certainly die! He couldn't bear to live with himself if that happened... But that was the least of his worries. As he allowed himself to drift into his thoughts, he had unconsciously slowed himself down for just a second.... a fatal second. Time stopped. He realized his mistake too late, pupils dilating as he heard what was to be the last lightning strike. All he could do was tilt his head up to see it coming towards him. BOOM! "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" His blood-chilling, gut-wrenching scream could be heard when the lightning bolt hit him full-force. Hyōryū suddenly heard and felt the series of thunder strikes above, forcing her to take cover in one of the half-ruined structures, looking at the epicenter of where a collosal battle was taking place. She suddenly realized with horror that the Captain was showing off his true power, controlling the lightning within the very atmosphere. All the previous attacks he had been dishing out were mere stalling tactics while his Spiritual Power reached into the heavens and began forming the thunderheads above. But her heart stopped when she head a familiar voice give a gut-wrenching scream in the air, and she actually saw the silhouette of the electrocuting her lover. "ANTOOOOOOON!!!!" Hyōryū screamed out to him, running off into a dashing sprint, carrying the Executor while priming it for firing. She didn't care if it would kill her, she would blast that devil of a man to Hell if she had anything to say about it. Shadō heard his partners' scream and had seen the following magnanomious display of power the Captain showed. His eyes narrowed and he smelled the air, gripping his Zanpakuto with trepidation, "Herr ''Angelika, I'm afraid I'll have to leave your side for the moment," his body began to meld with the shadows she created, continuing to say, "there's something coming that's evil and we must escape this annoyance before it reaches us." A ready nod was Angelika's response. She watched as Shadō faded into the shadows, leaning against the leveled wall and cursing slightly under her breath. "Scheiss..." She hissed, clutching her disabled arm and sinking down to a sitting position. "This is going to take at least a few hours to recover from." "What'd she do to you?" Oliver questioned, walking over to kneel down beside her. "She disabled the nerves in my arm. She didn't damage them, but simply flipped them to an "off" mode. So my injuries are minimal at best..." Angelika explained coolly, closing her eye for a moment. "But, for Anton..." Oliver turned his own head in order to look at the scene. However, even as he saw Anton being electrocuted and Hyōryū running out in order to stop the process, a smug grin crossed his face. "He may be a bastard..." He commented. "But he's a ''tough bastard. One measly lightning bolt's not going to stop him..." "Tozanshō!" On cue, Anton managed to summon the next Kidō spell after struggling through the agony of being electrocuted. Relief washed over him when the pyramid-shaped barrier was summoned around him, cutting off the current. The jolts that were still coursing through his body caused him to jerk erratically. But he managed to hold his ground, slamming his palms together and calling out the next words. "Rikujōkōrō! Bankin!" The next two spells were executed swiftly and without haste, as he sensed Hyōryū priming her weapon. They were meant to restrain him quickly so that his teammate could deliver the finishing blow. He would've gladly done so himself, but now that the woman had threw herself into the crossfire, he might as well give her the opportunity to.